The Road Less Traveled
by DeePerftectShip
Summary: When Lena Luthor was eight years old she found a book with no title, no author, and no plausible reason for existing. It was in this same time that her half brother Lex had died, leaving her alone with her stepmother, the immutable Lilian Luthor. Gripping onto the story of a young woman fighting for her home through love and compassion, Lena soon faces unexpected tribulations.


It's another boring day in the evermore boring town of Midveil. There's a population of 6,483, none exceptional. The most interesting thing about Midveil is its strange affinity to attract lighting -the national leader in most lightning strikes per square mile one hundred and fifty-five years and counting. What a legacy to leave to the world. Nobody leaves Midveil, no, people just live and die and repeat the pattern until another hundred and fifty years have passed. No one realizes, or rather, feels a need to leave Midveil long enough to want to never come back. They always come back. It makes you wonder sometimes. Is it them, or this place? Maybe it holds is far stronger than anyone would care to admit. Maybe.

The clouds hang low as a sticky morning dew clings to the earth and its patrons like a leech. Its early December with winter swelling through Midveil. A fierceness flows in every gust of wind. Cold feet shiver at the end of a bed as toes curl around the blanket rewrapping themselves for warmth. The body beneath the covers wriggles to life to the beat of an uptempo, and fairly annoying alarm without end. A head pops up. A mess of unruly black hair sticks out as the body finally flips the off switch and the once tranquil room is in silence again. But it's too late, sleep is no further an option. Bare feet touch the floor along with the edge of a red and white star riddled pant end. Slim alabaster arms brace themselves on the bed as the sleep heavy body propels to a mirror across the room.

Lena Luthor. Alabaster skin, rosy pink lips, highlighted by dark, thick eyebrows peers into her own reflection. Her sage green eyes flicker over every aspect of her face. A deep exhale. She moves briskly around the room, getting ready for yet another Friday in Midveil, and worse Midveil High. Her room is rather large, definitely larger than Leslie's - Lena's one "sort of" friend, mainly out of sheer force on Leslie's end. The Luthors were a founding family of Midveil, riches and small-town royalty came with the name by association. It meant Lena lived in the largest house in the town, accompanied only by her, the kitchen staff and Lilian, her mother. Lena despised it all. Today was going to be a blue jeans, white shirt and dark hoodie kinda day.

Shoes tied, hair done, Lena heads down the cliche double-sided curved staircase - an evident sign of her family's wealth. Breakfast is the only civility Lena shares with her mother as the famed Lillian Luthor sits, newspaper in her grasp, ignoring Lena's existence, usually.

"Lena," it comes out with a feigned niceness while the newspaper's shield doesn't crack.

Lena looks up from her bowl of fruit and single multigrain pancake. Surprise evident but a lost cause.

"Yes?", she manages with steel in her voice, yet not enough to issue a challenge.

"Take an umbrella, it might rain." she flips the page but never brings down the barrier.

Lena acknowledged her mother's claim silently. Once finished, Lena heads for the door, stopping briefly by a staircase to grab an umbrella. At the door, she stuffs all her belongings into her designer bag - a gift from Lilian. She packs the essentials, textbooks, spiral notebooks, a planner, neat pencil case, wallet, keys, and The Book. Lena never left her house without the old tattered book, not since she found it nine years prior. It was essentially attached to her hip. The burgundy red leather only got dingier with each passing year since she found it. There was no title, no author, no origin, just the book. When Lena first found it she thought it appeared from magic, something Lilian did not take to liking, threatening to burn it if Lena spoke of such delusions further. It wasn't magic, it just was inexplicable Lena contended.

Lena had a name for it, of course, it was too good a story, and to attached to her soul not to have a dedicated name. The strange emblem on the front cover, a deformed S filled in with some sort of blue crystal, and a gold trimming glistened anytime the light hit it. This book did not belong and yet it made Lena feel like she did despite her shitty little town. Every character, every adventure was ingrained into her brain, she could practically recite it all from memory, or even vividly picture it. This was her's and no one could take that away, not even Lilian. This book was all she had left after Lex died. It was her savior, and foundation, it was and is her everything. It's Krypton, the story of a warrior princess and her battle for hope, help, and compassion for all.

BBBBRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGG!

School bells were always unnecessarily loud. Lena stands at her locker despite the five-minute warning bell, putting her stuff for the day away when - SLAAM! Leslie - the "sort of" friend - so rudely interrupts Lena's ritual as Leslie's hand - decorated nicely with crackled black nail polish and a leather spiked bracelet - met Lena's locker door.

"So any plans for tonight?" she curiously and excitedly asks, knowing Lena's response but asking nonetheless.

"Yes, I'm going to the library tonight. Just like every Friday night since you decided to be my friend" Lena counters.

"HAA. You say that like its a bad thing. Lena, it's our senior year, and you've done nothing but hang out at that library any chance you get. Please for my sake can you live a little. It's sad to see you like this." Leslie pleads

"It's not sad" Lena tries to defend, but at that moment Jack, a respectable classmate walks by and Leslie really brings in the big guns to prove her point.

"Jack, please tell Lena that hanging out in a Library all night is sad, and makes her a pussy when it comes to living life." she grins mischievously.

"Lena, hanging at the library is sad," Jack says with absolute truth, then turns to Leslie. "I'm not saying the second part though." Leslie shrugs and shoos him away.

Lena rolls her eyes at the lengths Leslie is willing to go to make her point stick. She has no problem going out on a Friday night if there were actually worthwhile things to do, and people to see. The library is more of an oasis in a desert for Lena. It may be owned by her family but it is the one place that feels more hers than anything within her namesakes' dynasty.

Leslie continues speaking before Lena could get a word in defense. "Listen, the word on the street is that Ro-" the next bell rings before Leslie could finish dishing info Lena already found completely uninteresting.

"Awww look at that, saved by the bell. Were late, let's go. I don't need another phone call to Lillian." Lena says already walking away from Leslie, who can only concede and follow her one and only friend in this hellhole of a school, and town for that matter, but not without a firm shove to Lena's shoulder. Both girls laugh as they hurry down the halls.

Admittedly perhaps skipping class altogether would have been for the best. There was nothing on the earth that could make up for all the lost time spent in Experimental Biology. A crackpot of a class invented by one of the other GOOD bio teachers and decimated by Lena's current instructor. It was as if Mr. Kenpi took all his info off of Wikipedia and then proceeded to not look further than the top section. A waste of time, but a necessity apparently. Leslie was long asleep with her science book fully covering her head like a tent.

Lena had taken out her sole copy of Krypton and started reading. Having read it many times over she could pick out her favorite parts as individual stories to read whenever she was in a certain mood. Currently, she needed a jolt of excitement to keep her both awake and enthused to continue the day without wanting to step in front of a school bus before lunchtime. Although it's nice to know Leslie would probably follow in her footsteps or fight the bus. For all her nagging she really did enjoy Leslie's company. The blonde may pack on the eyeliner and leather a bit much but it made Leslie, Leslie and she wouldn't change her for the world.

Lena's self-imposed loner ideal isn't really ideal when she does indeed have a semblance of friendship. It really is better than being alone. She's been truly alone before, and she never wants to go back to that, it hurt too much to relive. So now she has a friend, and she has Krypton and the library which keep her going, through the darkness and all, but never truly alone.

Lena's enraptured in the pages before her. Living and breathing Krypton the same as when she first found the book. Currently, the warrior princess known as Kara Danvers was battling her uncle Non for command of Krypton.

_The airship dock stands bearing witness to all of Krypton below. The red sun sets on the final day that would seal its fate forever. Two champions fight to the death, one with honor and one with love. The sky above them alight with the final fighter ships struggling for victory._

_"__I fight for the future of Krypton! And what do you stand for? " Non yells as he lunges forward with his bo staff striking a deafening blow to Kara's chest which sends her flying to the edge of the platform. No use plummeting to her death now. Non strikes the ground with his metallic bo staff in a show of power. He stalks closer, every step deliberate. They are at the end of their battle._

_"__You are pathetic, just like your parents. Fools whose judgments were clouded by their heart rather than their minds. Weakness shall not be a staple in Krypton any longer." he creeps closer, and closer._

_Kara struggles, blood spilling from her lips, bruises on the rise. For Kara, Krypton was everything, and she would gladly give her life to win it back from the monster bent on destroying it._

Lena takes a deep breath. It always hard to picture such an intense scene of fighting. Each side with their own ideologies on what's best for Krypton, but she always agrees with Kara in the end. Something about an unlikely hero hiding in plain sight fascinated her to no end. She continues reading.

_Non stands over Kara, proud and wanting to end the feeble attempt at an uprising that would go nowhere. He breaks out into a sickening sneer, no remorse showing, not even for his poor niece._

_Kara breathes heavily, waiting, finding the strength within her to end this and take back what belongs to her, to the people of Krypton._

_"__Now, now, don't cry little one" her aunt Astra always called her little one, it makes her stomach sink. Non raises his bo staff, ready to grant his final blow and kill Kara Danvers, forever._

_At that moment it's as if time stills for Kara. She can do nothing but think of all the lives she lost to get to where she is. Her parents, her aunt, Jeremiah Danvers. She'd made great progress getting her life together again with her mission to save Krypton as her parents aimed to do. She fights for them, for all of the lives lost because of Non's reign. Love was not her weakness but her reason to keep going, her strength. She closes eyes and nods to herself, ready for what's next. Content with her decisions end._

_Non's bo staff finishes its strike with nothing but brute force. The sneer he wore previously, falls flat as he is met with resistance rather than the expected giving of flesh, and trail of blood. Kara grits her teeth as she uses all her strength to keep her bo staff as a barrier between her face and Non. His moment of surprise was the opening Kara needed to sweep his legs and promptly disarm him. The offending weapon falling off the dock's edge._

_Kara gets up shakily, using her staff for support, she stands over Non, weapon pointed at his chest._

_"__I fight for my parents, for Astra, for my family and for myself. Everyone...No longer will the people be overlooked. You're done Non. Don't make me end this with more bloodshed." she lowers her staff, stands proud at her victory and begins to limp away._

_Bile rising within him, Non launches himself at Kara one last time, hell-bent of ending the girl of steel. He made one grave mistake however, he let his emotions get the best of him and let out a wail out of anger which altered Kara to his obvious actions behind her._

_Without a moment's notice Kara turns and lunges, driving her staff into Non's chest sending him well over the dock's edge. He didn't make a sound on the way down, only once his body hit the ground signaling the end of Non. The end of tyranny and the rise of Kara Danvers._

_Kara pants, hunched over but still using the staff for support as someone approaches her from behind. He takes her weight from the side and helps her stand. Kara no longer needs to be in defense mode seeing as its only Mon-El. Now that the battle is over they can finally lean- _

Lena shuts the book. She always felt that the unnecessary love interest plot took away from the story. Not to mention she just didn't like Mon-El's character anyway, but what can she do there is only one book and no further explanations to everyone's backstory. Maybe she could like him, but for now, she will live with what's she's got and what she's read.

Thankfully Lena managed to read long enough to get through her miserable class, a whole minute before the bell rang. She quickly put away her book and made sure to wake up Leslie just as the bell rang. Time for the next class, AP Literature. Surprisingly Leslie was in that class. Well, a surprise to Lena who thought it might be too pretentious for Leslie but she swears "It's only so I don't completely lose my mind in the remedial class."

Lena knows the truth. Leslie is very good at writing and secretly loves to read books that require apt analysis. She just wouldn't admit it to anyone alive.

BBBBRRRRRIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG!

Right on time, everyone in the class plops down into their seats. AP literature was a smaller class of elites. Besides Lena and Leslie, there was Jack, Maxwell, Mike, Veronica, Siobahn, Barry, Iris, Felicity, Oliver, Sarah, and Ava. Jack was the only one she ever really had an actual outside conversation with, the others were a casual 'hello' here and there. She didn't dislike most of her classmates which was a surprise, although Veronica's non stop flirting since their sophomore year was always an unwelcome consequence of their shared space. It was only Maxwell Lord that Lena hated, and with a passion of a million burning suns.

Lena sat in her usual spot by the right wall, second row. Leslie sat in the front row but turned back to continue their conversation from that morning that was so rudely interrupted.

"So, Roulette is throwing a party tonight at her place. Her parents are gone to China or Spain again, I don't know. What's important is that you come with. What d'ya say?" boy is Leslie's Cheshire grin really widespread.

Lena is unfazed by the information and merely continues to lay out her supplies for class as she responds. "I think that I'm going to the library tonight." At that moment Veronica decides to weigh in herself seeing as it is her party, after all, a Luthor present was sure to spice things up.

"Roulette" Leslie greets with the slightest hint of annoyance.

"Livewire, always a pleasure." Veronica is all business unless she is talking to Lena.

"Now, now Lena why don't you call a babysitter for those precious books of yours and come have some fun. I think you and I can have a LOT of fun together." she smiles in kind. Veronica is not being very tactile at the moment, then again she was always good at being straightforward.

"Hey, I bet I could make her come faster than you, Ronnie!" Maxwell interjects while crudely grabbing his crotch, earning a round of eye rolls and fake barfing noises from Leslie before walking away to sit at his desk and take up Mike's time instead.

Lena is ready for that bus now.

"I bet mommy Luthor would be thrilled if you hung out with a Sinclair. Listen to Livewire here and take a day off of being a sad little bitch and live a little. Honestly, I'm getting tired of chasing you, when all you do is hang out in a dingy library." She carries on to reapply her signature red lipstick. God has Lena never wished for a school bell to ring faster and louder in her life.

Lena rolls her eyes at Veronica's audacity. She's not playing these games. "Sorry to disappoint you Veronica, you should be used to it by now."

BBBRRRRRRIIIINNNNNNGGGGGGG!

Thank the powers at play, Lena is free for the rest of class. Veronica walks away unbothered. Leslie frowns and faces the board, leaving Lena alone again. She can't wait for today to be over, just a few more hours and she will have some peace.

At the end of the day, school is school but now it's over and that means Lena is free. She has used up her limit of idiot tolerance for the remainder of the day and it was barely 2:30 pm.

She walks to the front entrance to find Lilian was right. It's raining. Luckily Lena actually brought an umbrella. Aptly covered she walks to her car, Leslie on her heels.

"Are you sure you don't want to come tonight" Leslie pleads. There was no response Lena could give that would appease her.

"Positive. Plus there's a new shipment in tonight and you know I love that new book smell." Lena almost gushes. She really did love spending time at the Luthor Fund Community Library. It was weird at first knowing it had her name on it or rather her family name on it but now it was like a second home. Every stack and every title held another world within, waiting to be unlocked. Plus parties really weren't her scene. After being forced to attend corporate parties as the youngest Luthor she had been to enough parties for a lifetime, not to mention the expectation to drink and other stuff that comes with teen partying. It never really sounded appealing to young heiress.

"Hmm, fine. But know that you are a giant nerd and I don't know why I'm friends with you" Leslie teases as she makes her way to her own car. An all black junker that rattles and was not trustworthy.

Lena smiles and waves her only friend goodbye before making her way home. A few hours of decompressing before the peace of being fully surrounded by books

-.

Lena knew something was off the moment she walked through the door. The staff were strangely very panicked and scurrying around. Usually at this time of day all is calm, and the house is quiet, but since it's not it must mean one thing. Lilian is home. An unfortunate bump in Lena's plan for the day but she was prepared to placate Lilian enough to let her live another day.

Lena tiptoed to the source of the ruckus as Lilian ordered around some man in a suit in the family room. He too scurried away by Lilian's final words. He blew past Lena, not even making eye contact. Now Lena stood, singled out, prey to Lilian, who - for once - fully acknowledged her presence.

"Lena, just the person I wanted to talk to." Lilian sits, wiping away any creases from her dress pants as she does so.

"Really" Lena answers inquisitively, curious mode on full blast.

"It seems that the Luthor Fund Community Library is costing us more money than it is making. The truth is that people just don't rent physical books anymore, or buy them for that matter. The market is online. Frankly, I should have closed it years ago." Lilian takes out her phone and starts going through some emails. The entire ordeal dealt like a business meeting.

Tears can't begin to express the level of emotions running through Lena at the moment. Its all hot and raw, and filled with the worst thoughts possible, but none as prevalent as the eternal sadness starting to set it. She is speechless, not a combatant comment to deliver. It seems Lilian will get her way. That thought alone seems to break Lena from her stupor.

"You can't do this. What are you going to do with all the books? Burn them? Libraries are more than a place to rent books mother." Every word is hard to form from the strain of emotion behind Lena's voice. They come out as almost a whisper.

"Doesn't your school have a library?" Lilian inquires, still looking over her phone.

"Yes, but-" Lena doesn't even have a chance to rebut.

"Then we can donate them to the school, and give the rest away. I really don't care Lena. But if it means so much to you, you can oversee them as they leave. How's that?" she finally looks up. She's not asking, instead telling Lena what will happen, and it will happen no matter how much Lena loathes Lilian in that moment, and likely forever.

"That's… I.. you" she fails.

"Oh Lena, you really should speak more coherently, it's not becoming of a future mogul. Anyways, now that that's settled, I will be going to Luthor Fund today and sorting out the details with Mr. Olson." Lilian stands and approaches Lena. She reaches out to grasp her daughter's shoulder but Lena pulls away leaving Lilian's hand hovering in the air.

"You have to learn to let go Lena, it's bad for your health to keep that tension within your body." she imparts.

"Is that what this is? A learning point in life for me to build upon?" A tear almost escapes but Lena looks up instead not wanting to give Lilian the satisfaction.

"No dear. It's just business, something you'll understand soon." and with that, she leaves. Lena hears the front door close by its echo through the now deafeningly silent house. Lillian was like a tornado causing devastation where she stood and then leaving everything and everyone in tatters afterward, without a trace.

There was a blaring sound in Lena's ears as a numbness climbed up her body. This is what Lilian always does, she was a pro at it. She wouldn't let Lena have anything for herself to love. In the fifth grade she made Lena give up chess because " Lex's already more than proficient dear, why keep trying for something you'll never attain. Sometimes you have to give things up to get ahead in life." Even at eleven years old Lena knew the utter bullshit spewed by Lilian was only that. Golden child Lex could do no wrong, could not stop but reach for the stars and Lena, well Lena was left to the dust.

Now, now there was no Lex. Only Lilian and Lena, a fairly dangerous combination.

Lena ran upstairs after a fair amount of time building up her frustration and anger, and pure volatile hatred for everything that was Lillian Luthor. Her bed gave her minimal comfort, but the screams into her pillow finally allowed some kind of release. Over and over, and over she screamed and cried until there was nothing left to give. Sleep overtook Lena soon after with the hope of a dream to take her mind away.

MY ANACONDA DONT…..MY ANACONDA DON'T… MY ANACONDA DON'T WANT NONE UNLESS YOU GOT-

Fumbling wildly for her phone, Lena manages to find it in her sleep filled state. "Hello", Lena groggily answers. Jesus, she really needed to supervise Leslie more around her phone.

"Leeeeeeee Naaaa, are you asleep?" Leslie greets with a slight drunken slur.

Lena wasn't ready for a conversation right now after her emotionally draining afternoon, but a distraction was better than nothing at this point in time.

"Leslie" Lena warns. She rethinks wanting a distraction.

"Lena where are you! This party is sooo lit, and guegues guess guess what.?" Leslie was definitely drunk. Lena rolled her eyes and decided to indulge in Leslie's drunkenness even if for a moment.

"What Leslie?", Lena wipes at her eyes with one hand as the other props her phone up to her ear. Turning onto her back she stretches out her limbs, erasing any signs of sleep from her body. She looks around her room. It's a very impersonal space with a simple white layout, bed, desk, tv, bookshelf and her closet. There are no posters on the walls, no pictures hung up. Upon Lilian's insistence there is a small shelf with her chess trophies and science fair ribbon that have had no new additions since the seventh grade. The only burst of life besides Lena's own presence comes from her bookshelf which is littered with colorful spines and titles. None of them compare to her copy of Krypton but they make the cold emptiness of the estate feel like a fraction of a home.

"Siobhan is giving her bedroom eyes, and harrrrdd." Leslie replies over the phone as she takes another swig of her drink. Veronica's party was going on full blast, and Leslie was already on her six….or maybe seventh drink of an endless night. It's not like she really kept count, she liked the escape, anything to get her mind of off everything, and anything included Siobhan.

Lena rolled her eyes again, toying with the ends of her shirt. Maybe she needed a bigger distraction than she cared to admit.

"And what, you're a hopeless faun falling prey to the vicious lioness?" Lena retorts.

Leslie puts her hand over her heart. "However am I to escape the luscious lips of such a vixen. I have no choice but to concede." Leslie finishes with a laugh.

Lena laughs too. Fuck it. Fuck Lilian, and fuck staying one more minute, alone, in this house. At that moment, whether a moment of weakness or a moment of utter strength, Lena decided to forgo a night in.

"You know what Les, I'll be there in twenty" she grins with a look that speaks of pure mischief.

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT YESSSS" Leslie screams loud enough that Lena has to move her phone from her ears.

She only hoped that she was making the best, worst decision she could make. Grabbing her bag she checked for her four essentials, keys, phone, wallet, and Krypton before finally heading out.

Music thumped, bodies came and went from the house. It was packed, and Lena wasn't sure she could find Leslie even if she had a tracker implanted in her. She waded through the masses and made it to the kitchen - she had gotten to know the house during her middle school days of escorted 'play dates' at Veronica's house- and texted Leslie. Hopefully, Siobhan wasn't successful in her catch of the night just yet.

Taking in the copious amounts of bottles and cups and snacks littered around the counters, an unexpected pair of hands came up from behind Lena and laid to rest over her eyes. This caused a very sharp reaction as Lena's body recoiled at the intruder's contact. Lena would also deny that a tiny squeal escaped her lips. The laugh that came from behind her left here in no more of a relaxed state than before, if she was being honest it tired her even more.

The hands came down from her eyes, and the full body attached to them appeared in front of Lena. "Veronica, always a surprise, or rather not" she mocks.

Veronica looks at Lena like she's her next meal, taking pride in the effect she has on Lena, no matter if it was negative a majority of the time.

"Well, you being here is more of a surprise to me if I'm being honest. And I hate surprises" she leers further, making sure Lena sees her check her out fully. " But you're always a pleasant surprise kitten"

Ugh, Lena could puke at such a nickname. To say she never once thought about Veronica in a more than 'frenemy' way would be a lie, but Veronica wasn't her type in the slightest. Maybe if she wanted to spite Lilian sure but Lena actually had an actual soul and knew better than to stoop so low in her life.

"Kitten? Ewwww what does that make me then Ronnie? A golden retriever." Leslie says as she walks into the kitchen already refilling her cup. Veronica smirks, taking her eyes off Lena - finally. Lena has never been happier to see her disgruntled friend.

"Don't be silly Livewire. You're all mutt." she finishes grabbing her own drink and walks away with a final "Don't be a stranger Lena. Maybe I'll even show you my new tattoo." and like that she disappears back into the masses.

"Jesus Lena, why don't you just tap that so she can move on to her next meal"

Lena is appalled. "Gee I don't know Leslie maybe because I have a conscious, and ohh hmm standards that don't include snakes like Veronica Sinclair."

Leslie laughs. "Standards, geeez. You're going to be a virgin forever"

"NOT IF I CAN HELP IT" responds an unwanted Maxwell Lord, followed by puppy boy Mike Matthews. If Lena thought talking to Veronica was bad enough, Maxwell Lord made her ready to commit murder, twice over.

Lena and Leslie both grimace at Maxwell's mere presence, disgust their only emotion. Mike is smiling like a fool, and Maxwell is refilling his cup and a few shot glasses.

"Why did I come here," Lena asks Leslie, clearly rhetorical.

"Because you had an epiphany, a moment of realization that you didn't want to be a loner and a loser, so here you are, a loser who is no longer a loner." Leslie seems very proud at her analysis, and Lena just stares like she's in The Office. "Idiot" she mumbles.

"Woah, Woah Lena, babe" Maxwell approaches Lena and puts an arm around her which she quickly dodges making his hand fall onto the table. He shrugs it off to being drunk.

"If you need to…" he moves in closer still and whispers, " de-virginize, I got you." He winks at the end wearing a smile that makes it seem like he just offered Lena the cure to cancer. Lena is repulsed.

Lena raised a deadly eyebrow as she fully faced Lord. Leslie knew a raised eyebrow from Lena meant trouble, and trouble meant something ultimately entertaining to watch, so she stood by, drinking and watching what would happen next.

"The only thing you have Maxwell is a small dick and a big ego. Any woman would have to be medically insane to want to sleep with you, or perhaps so deeply insecure they mask your incompetent, narcissistic daddy issues complex." Lena hadn't noticed how silent it got until she as done talking. A small crowd had formed on the outskirts of the kitchen, and several phones were in view recording the entire ordeal. Many whoops and hollers started abruptly after.

Leslie's mouth hung open. Mike Matthews refused to make any eye contact with anyone, finding his drink much more interesting. Maxwell Lord looked like a kicked puppy with a fire beneath his eyes. He was utterly humiliated and all eyes were on him. He had no move and no words to counter.

Leslie let out a loud "DAAAMMMNNN RIGHT LENAA" before Lena took one shot, knocked it back and dragged Leslie away.

"Ohh my god Lena did you see his face!" Leslie barks. "Iconic, you ma'am are my new hero!" Leslie bows behind Lena, who turns to see the charade. Lena can only give a hollow laugh at her friend's antics. They walk around to the front of the house before stopping short of the door. Its begun to rain, with the company of thunder. Everyone who once littered the front lawn now seeks refuge in the house, meaning it's getting fuller and quicker.

Lena really is questioning her reason for being at the party now. Too many people, too many drunk idiotic people - Leslie included but she actually liked Leslie so the blonde wasn't a problem. Body after body passed by Lena and Leslie, frantically.

A bob of brunette hair, with a silver streak, makes its way through the frantic people to grab Leslie's arm.

"Siobhan, what gives?" the blonde questions, yet knowing full well what the other girl intended. She had to put up a fight, that was their routine as two people who didn't "like" each other. Everyone knew of their hookups, of course, it was hard not to when every party ended the same way, just in a different bedroom.

"My, my, Livie, please save the snap, crackle, pop for later" she winks knowingly. "Let's go upstairs and talk." Siobhan lets go of Leslie's hand and heads up the stairs, turning back a few times to makes sure the other girl is following.

Leslie stares up at Siobhan almost dumbfounded. She knows she's going to follow her up the stairs, resistance is futile. She turns then to Lena, whose only action was to gag during the whole interaction. This is why she didn't go to parties, and then some.

"Hey, Lee I'm gonna go do… that, I'll catch up with you later yeah! Ugh ok cool so glad you came out, you should do it more often, byeeeee." She slinks off leaving Lena in the dust.

Lena watches Leslie meet Siobhan at the top of the stairs and be dragged away into the dark abyss of some room. Now she looks around the rest of the house, familiar and unfamiliar faces all around. It's too many. Music still thumps throughout the house, some kind of repeated EDM pattern that gets old too quickly when you're sober. She walks to the still open front door and watches the droplets beat down on the ground. If only it wasn't pouring outside, then she'd sit on the porch, take out Krypton and start to read and let the party fade away.

All too quickly Lena's dream of tranquility is broken by none other than Maxwell Lord. It really did take an enormous amount of energy out of Lena to be at this party and socialize - if one could call it that.

"Lena, Lena, Lena, all alone?" he questions with a wicked smirk. Lena always had a bad feeling in her stomach when talking to Maxwell, or just by looking at him really. How much sleaze can fit into one body, she did not know, but so far it was seemingly endless.

Maxwell puts an arm around Lena's shoulder which she easily shrugs off. "Let me keep you company hmm? I'll forgive you for earlier if we hang out", he smiles again. Lena's creep-o-meter was exceeding one hundred percent, and at this point in the night, alone, bored, and tired, going home seemed like the best option ever. Still, she had to escape Lord's advances before she really did some physical damage.

"That's a nice offer and all Maxwell, but I'm just going to go. The music sucks, the booze is rather cheap, and my current company isn't any better than the two so I'll be on my way." She makes her escape. Tightening the straps on her backpack, and grabbing an umbrella from beside the door - which she fully intends on returning at some point- she heads out. The further she walks the quieter her world becomes. That awful music is but a distant trump that is slowly overtaken by the beat of rain on the umbrella. Golden, golden sounds of the natural earth. Lighting and thunder fill the sky with streaks of light, and Lena laughs at the sight. It was glorious.

Step after step Lena walks. God her shoes are going to be soaked by the time she gets home. Did she really want to go home though? Earlier at the party, it seemed like the best place to go but Lillian was surely to be back by now. No, she couldn't go back there right now. There was only one place she could think of that was safe, and dry and her haven in any time of need, so she makes her way there. Her feet take their designated right turns, and then a left, and she has arrived.

The Luthor Fund Community Library wasn't particularly shabby but it was Lena's favorite place in Midveil. She opened the front door, making sure to lock it back up. Perhaps being alone in a large building would be scary to some but to Lena, it was a godsend. She makes her way past five bookshelves, makes a left turn and enters a hallway with one door at the very end - the breakroom, employees only- and one door to the right - the bathroom. Lena used another key to open the break room and relish in the sight of the shakey Keurig machine next to the old reliable microwave, the too large refrigerator, and the blue couch against the right wall. This, this small break room at the back of the Luthor Fund Community Library was her home. She sets her bag down on the table that sits in the middle of the room and loots the cabinets for a cup of top ramen noodles. It was the simplest things that made Lena the happiest, not extravagant meals or gifts.

In a state of bliss, Lena sits on the blue, and very comfy couch waiting for her top ramen to finish cooking. Krypton rests open in her hands, with the next page about to be turned.

Cloaked in darkness, a few yards from the Luthor Fund Community Library a figure stands in waiting. A bottle of liquor with a cloth tail is tightly gripped as they walk closer to the building. Standing in front of the library, the figure ignites the cloth, rears their arm back and propels the bottle through a front window. The liquor causes a trail of flame to spread among the books. Soon the flames claim the five left bookshelves, work up the wall, and reach the five right bookshelves. The plumes of smoke overwhelmed everything in a layer of blackness. The figure breathes heavily, the firelight illuminating their face. Manic steel is etched onto the smirk of one Maxwell Lord as he turns and disappears back into the night. Lighting and thunder fill the night sky, increasing in frequency, and getting closer to the library with each strike.


End file.
